ISMJ

Background: The marine environment is anexceptional reservoir of bioactive natural products, many of them exhibit structural/chemical features that not found in terrestrial natural products.Glycosaminoglycans are one of this various bioactive compounds. Heparin, as a well known glycosaminoglycan, is a sulfated glycosaminoglycan that has natural anticoagulant properties. Heparin and heparin-like compounds are used as anticoagulants in many aspects of medicine. However, for two main reasons: 1. Contamination in heparin samples obtained from pig intestine or bovine lung pathogens and other pathogens, 2 .resource for use of heparin is limited and there are a lot of requirements for new compounds from natural resources. According to GAGs importance and widespread using of heparin in medicine, in the present study, GAGs compounds extracted from sea anemones and anticoagulant properties of the human blood is investigated. Materials and Methods: GAGs compound was extracted by using cetylpyridinium chloride. Anticoagulation activity of extracted GAGs (the extracted tentacle) was tested in human blood plasma, using manual procedures, and assay system, prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). Results: In this study the amount of the crude GAGs was 24 mg per gram of tentacle dry weight. The results ofanticoagulant activity extracted on human blood plasma showed that these compounds prolonged clotting time compared to the control. In APTT and PT assay of the extracted GAGs from the sea anemone also clotting time prolonged in compared to the control. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that anticoagulant compounds existed in the tentacle of the sea anemone, and although their effects is weaker than the heparin, but they can be substituted for heparin, at least in laboratory conditions.